g{x `ÉÇ àéü St. Matthew s United Methodist Church 2738 MacArthur View, San Antonio, Texas 78217

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1 g{x `ÉÇ àéü March 2016 St. Matthew s United Methodist Church 2738 MacArthur View, San Antonio, Texas Reflections From the Pastor I want to start a discussion on belief. Why do we believe what we believe? I think there are several reasons that form belief systems. In my teenage years and early 20 s, my belief system was built on what I THOUGHT should be right. It didn t matter if it WAS right or not. If I thought it should be, for me it was. I believed what I thought was right. In my 20 s and on, I changed what I believed and why I believed it. What I believed was what I perceived the Bible was teaching. I no longer believe some of my former interpretations of the bible. Hear me now. I chose an external teaching (the Bible) to form my belief system. Those who choose to believe what the Koran teaches have also chosen an external source of information to form their beliefs around. If I believe what my grandmother taught me, I have chosen to believe an external source of information. However, if my belief system is built around my perceptions of what is right and wrong, then I am creating my own informational system to believe in. Sometimes our belief system is built on information that we have collected from many sources. It is hard to explain to others what my beliefs are based on. Is one system right and the others wrong? In This Edition: Page 1 Pastor Article Page 2 Information, Admin Board, Attendance Page 3 Sunday School Classes/ Fellowship Time, XYZ Page 4 Women s Bible Study/Youth Events Page 5 Monday Night Bible Study Page 6 Keep Wednesday Night Free/ PNO Page 7 Events/ UMM Page 8 Invitation's Page 9 Agua Viva Ministry Page 10 Prayer List Page 11 Calendar Page 12/15 UMW Page 16 Church & Society Page 17 Day School Page 18 South TX Women s Personally, I don t think so. As I understand it, it is the Holy Spirit that leads us into all Truth (with a capital T). People who have different belief systems don t need to fight about who is right or wrong. That doesn t have anything to do with belief systems. As Christians, we should not be looking down on others with different beliefs. I have heard people who profess to be a follower of Christ make snide comments about what someone else believes. Brothers and Sisters, that should not be. Jesus taught us that the second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves. Belittling someone because they have a different belief system doesn t reflect that command. I do not have the same beliefs as the Muslims but I don t feel threatened by them. I do not agree with some things that colleagues of mine believe when it comes to sexual issues. It certainly doesn t help if we talk negatively about each other. If we can talk about where our belief system comes from, we may understand each other better (not agree with each other) We don t have to agree with people to love them as Christ loves them. I think it would be beneficial if we talk to each other about what each believes and find out what they base that belief on. Who is going to start the discussion? Alan 1

2 WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Sunday Morning Worship 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship Service/ Sanctuary 11:00 a.m. Blended Worship Service/ Sanctuary Sunday School 9:45 a.m. CHURCH STAFF Pastor Alan Delafield Associated Pastor of Agua Viva Veronica Harvey Business Administrator Hermy Rudloff Children & Family Ministries Director Judy Langford College/Youth Ministries Director Tim Diemert Day School Director Nikki Irving Secretary Diana Garza Music Director David Cain Organist Irwin Witebsky Handbell Director Susan Collins Nursery Coordinator Annalie Tamez Custodian Raul Menesess Pastor s Office Hours Monday: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Tuesday: 9:00 a.m. - Noon Wednesday: 1:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. Thursday: 9:00 a.m.- Noon Bible Studies at St. Matthew s Monday: Beth Moore Bible Study, 6:30 pm, Abel Chapel Monday Night Bible Study, 7:00 pm, Room 105 Tuesday: Women of Faith, 8:00 am, Room 105 Tuesday Morning Bible Study, 9:30 am, Room 105 Wednesday: Keep Wednesday Nights FREE Study for Adults, Youth, Children, and nursery for the little ones Agua Viva Woman's Bible Study 10:00 am, Fellowship Hall Agua Viva Spanish Discipleship Class, 6:00 pm, Room 605 Administrative Board 2016: Chairman Eugene Hileman Vice Chairman Ralph Pipes Lay Leader for 8:30 am Jo Reinschmidt Lay Leader for 11:00 am Anne Verner Conference Delegate Carolyn Twyford Conference Delegate Alternate Jo Reinschmidt Treasurer Mike Verner Secretary Jeanie Etter COM Chair Steve Shrader Finance Chair Fred Long SPRC Chair Bill Twyford Month Church Sunday School Small Groups December January February 216 (Only 3 Sundays) 124 Church Office Hours Monday-Thursday 9:00 am to 4:00pm Friday - 9:00 am to 12:00 pm Phone: (210) Fax: (210) Church Address Information@smumcsa.org St. Matthew s Website St. Matthew s Day School Phone: (210) Fax: (210) dayschool@smumcsa.org Average Church and Sunday School Attendance November 2015 Through January

3 SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR ALL AGES 9:45 AM Preschool 3-4 year olds meet in room 606. Contact person: Judy Langford ( ext. 105) Kinder through 1 st grade - meet in room 604.Contact person: Judy Langford ( ext. 105) Grades 2nd through 5 th grade explore the Bible using music, art, science, games, story, and cooking. They begin each session in room 611. Contact person: Judy Langford ( ext. 105) Teens and Tweens meet in the Youth Building. Contact Youth Team: Tim and Kelli Diemert ( ) Come and See Class: (All Ages) Meets in room 301 (Deats Bldg). A discipleship class on knowing Christ and making him know. Studying Romans Contact person: Jim Humphries ( ) assisted by John Shero. New Seasonings: (Middle Adult) Meets in room 603. Studying Living the Questions, The Church s Hidden Strength by Barbra Wendland. Contact person: David Mack ( ) Son Shine Class: (Senior Adult) Meets in room 605. Studying Seeing Jesus in the Old & New Testament. Contact person: Marsha Humphries ( ) Voyagers: (Senior Adult) Meets in room 601. Adult Bible Study. Contact person: Frank Tyk ( ) Friends of Faith: (Young & Middle Adult) meets in the Fellowship Hall. Contact person: Greg Klaerner ( ) Covenant Believers: (Middle Adult) Meet in conference room 105. Starting a new study To Live is Christ, to Die is Gain a study of Philippians. Contact persons: Anne Verner ( ) or Judy Langford ( ext. 105) College Class: Meets in the Abel Chapel, Contact person Kathe Masterson XYZ ADULT FELLOWSHIP will meet on March 9th at noon in the Fellowship Hall. Lunch will be provided. Join us for fellowship and interesting conversation. question SUNDAY FELLOWSHIP REFRESHMENT TIME March April May Come and See Sonshine Voyagers 3

4 WOMEN S BIBLE STUDY MONDAY NIGHTS 6:30-8:30 PM In the Abel Chapel Join us and Beth Moore in the new, eleven week study Breath which examines the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It s title is drawn from the words of John 20:22, which records that Jesus "breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" Cost of the study will be $15. Babysitting is available in the church nursery. For further questions and to reserve your workbook please contact Judy Langford at Happy 2016! Youth Events This year is off to a bang!! We have a few events that are coming up right around the corner so we want to get the info out and start getting registered. Here is a new program that we are trying out. We love it so far. This program will allow you to register for event (s) online. Just click on here and choose the event (s) to register for. EASY!!! Plus helps keep me organized! We will be booking our summer events in the next couple weeks so we can get dates out to you. If you have questions or concerns please let us know. Tim Diemert Youth Director Boys vs Girls Lock-in-----March 12 cost TBA 4

5 Monday Night Bible Study 7:00 PM - Room 105 The Monday Night Bible Study will resume on 11 January at 7:00 p.m. Studies on the first two nights in 2016 will use a DVD titled The Star of Bethlehem. This DVD has been described as... fascinating and meticulously researched, and wide ranging and insightful scholarship. It involves astronomical examination of the stars during the period when Christ was born. A very good and thought provoking video. Although our Bible study uses DVD s to inform participants and stimulate discussion, the playback of topic material can be stopped by anyone attending. We plan for the study sessions to last one hour. Bottom line is that we maintain flexibility as to the session ending time but the latest we have run in the past was about 8:15 p.m. During our first two sessions in 2016 we will vote on topics to follow The Star of Bethlehem. Choices include but are not limited to those listed below. MANY MORE TITLES ARE AVAILABLE Ancient Roads from Christ to Constantine presents the first three hundred years of Christian faith. Six hours of material Birth of a Faith, The Great Missionary, Age of the Apostles, From Apocalypse to Heresies, Pagans and the Cult of Martyrs, and Constantine. The Lost Tomb of Jesus 105 minutes by Simca Jacobovici. Controversial topic. Old Testament Bible Battles. 100 minutes.... explores the biblical world from a military perspective from the time of Abraham to David s ascension to the throne. Bible Stories for the Whole Family. Will take between 12 and 14 sessions to cover all material or we may choose individual topics. Disks include Esther and the King, Joseph and His Brethren, The Power of the Resurrection, The Great Commandment, Hill Number One, I Beheld His Glory, Martin Luther, For questions: Call Ken Lingle, (210) Oh yes, we meet in the Conference Room, Room 105. Hope to see you there. 5

6 F ellowship R elationship E ducate E nergize Wednesday night F. R. E. E. Supper, worship, study for children, youth and adults 6:00 6:30 Supper 6:30 6:45 Worship 6:45 7:45 Study for all ages Elementary ages: Kindergarten - 4th grade Tweens: Fifth and sixth grade Youth: Seventh grade through High School Nursery available for younger children March 4th 6:30 9:30 PM Ages 12 months to 5th grade Volunteers are always needed for our monthly Parent s Night Out Ministry Scheduled on the first Friday night of each month. Getting involved is such a blessing to the children. The children arrive at 6:30 pm for play, dinner, story, crafts, and games and stay till 9:30 pm. We are using our Power Xpress Sunday School curriculum as a basis for planning each month s activities. It s a blessing to reach children with the Good News of Jesus Christ. This outreach is a living expression of the vitality of this church. Please contact Maria Cantu at If you have any questions 6

7 Easter Egg Hunt Join us for our Annual Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 26th at 10:00 am. Children will gather in Fellowship Hall for instructions and dismissal by age groups. Following the hunt there will be refreshments and fellowship in the Fellowship Hall. You can help with this event by donating candy, helping stuff and hide the eggs, providing refreshments and greeting our children of the congregation and neighborhood that morning. For more information, contact Judy Langford at Will be singing Gabriel Faure s Requiem March 25, :00 pm In the Sanctuary The work features the Choir, with Baritone Soloist & Soprano Soloist METHODIST MEN - Even without Joe Garvin to prepare our breakfast, the Methodist men were able to have the usual great feast thanks to Bernie Miller, Richard Adams and Bill Twyford, of course much of the credit goes to the leadership that was provided! We did have a good program, presented by Jeff and Veronica Harvey. They outlined what their mission is in Mexico and how that can be accomplished with our help. So the Methodist men are staying well informed on our church s activities We will continue to meet at 8:00 am in the gym on the second Sunday of each month to have breakfast and study timely events. Robert Freund 7

8 LADIES OF SAINT MATTHEW S You are invited to attend a Bridal Shower honoring Cathy Delafield Saturday, March 12 at 10:00 a.m. Fellowship Hall She is registered at Macy s and Sears Please call Pat Zimmerman if you can attend The fight against cancer goes on. There is no one I know who can say they don t have a friend or relative that has battled this terrible disease. We here at St. Matthew s have found a way to help in the fight against cancer. We will be dedicating the proceeds from our Daddy and me Dance (March 12, 2016) and the fight against Multiple Myeloma key chain sales to Dean Pearson & Family, who is currently battling Multiple Myeloma cancer. Now, your part is easy. All you need to do to help with the fight against cancer is to please donate as generously as you can, God knows our hearts and what we can and cannot to. Please stop by the church office or the Day school office with donations. We want to help in finding the cure to Multiple Myeloma cancers why not help find the cure a little sooner? 8

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17 We are faithfully marching all the way into the month of March. Being the faithful servants that we are of the Lord, St. Matthew s is continuing to grow and be self-sufficient. At this time our total enrollment is at 74, with several families on the waiting list for the fall, and some classrooms are considered full for the upcoming school year! Praise be to God, for all the blessings that He is putting into St. Matthew s Day School. Our fundraisers have been a great, and have really helped out the school and the classrooms. Thank you for all that you do in the support of the children. This month we have several activities and events planned. Dr. Seuss s birthday is this month on Wednesday March the 2 nd.. The school will celebrate in the festivities by honoring Dr. Seuss with reading books, eating green eggs and ham; acting out stories with the children that we read when we were children. On March 7 th, look for all the smiling faces on the playground, the Day School will take its annual school photo on the playground at 9:30 am. On March 13 th, we will host our Daddy and me dance in the gym in honor of Dean Pearson. All proceeds will go towards the fight for cancer. The dance tickets are on sale in the Day School office for $ These tickets will consist of an Italian dinner, Lasagna, Salad, bread sticks, and a drink. Enjoy the night with a lot of great music, food, fellowship, and fun. Please attend and show a family of ours, that they are not alone in this fight. On sale from now until the end of the month we have we no one fights alone key chains on sale to help raise funds for the fight against Multiple Myeloma Awareness. Get yours today, to show your support. On Friday March 25 th we will host our annual Trike-A-Thon where we teach the children all about bike safety, while at the same time raising money for the St. Jude Cancer Research Center. It s a blessing when we are able to bless others as God is blessing us. Day light savings time will begin on Sunday March 13 th. Remember the saying Spring forward, so don t forget to set those clocks ahead an hour on Saturday night. This month is also National Nutrition Month, how healthy are you eating? Check out to see how your eating habits measure up. We would like to say thank you for all your help and time to all those that have been assisting with the playground restoration. Spring Break in the NEISD is scheduled for March 14 th - 18 th. The Day School will remain open during normal business hours. Nikki Irving and Staff St. Matthew s Day School dayschool@smumcsa.org Phone Website 17

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19 Raul Menesess is 24 years old and was born and raised here in San Antonio, Texas. He started working here at St. Matthew s UMC on February 9th 2016, he is our full time custodian. He s been married for 5 years and has three beautiful little girls. On his days off, he enjoys spending time outside with his children. We were married on May 3, 2014 on the front porch of our historic farmhouse located five blocks from St. Matthew's. We grew up worlds apart, Nina near Guanajuato, Mexico while I grew up in Napa Valley, California. However, we both grew up on farms. We share our love for family, Nina has hundreds of relatives, while I only have five relatives. As time permits, we both paint and create sculpture. We both love history and are busy preserving our early 20th century farm. We are truly excited that you have joined our congregation!!! Sharon Solis & Joseph Solis 19

20 fàa `tàà{xãëá United Methodist Church 2738 MacArthur View San Antonio, TX March 2016 Happy Easter from the Staff at Saint Matthew s St. Matthew s is all about FAMILY!!! Come see what God is doing at St. Matthew s!!!! Check out our awesome website at - Piano Lessons by Comfort-Air Engineering, Inc. Irwin Witebsky - St. Matthew s organist Expert instruction for a reasonable fee Please call (210) A New Generation of Comfort! Robert & Georganne Freund St. Matthew s members since 1984 Commercial / Residential / Sales & Service Jones Maltsberger / / Phone: